Forums >Off the Beaten Path>Happy Valentine's Day -- people suck!
rectumdamnnearkilledem
I've had a truly horrible day. Anyone following me on FB already knows the deal, but for those who have missed the saga it goes something like this:
Around noon we started hearing meowing. At first I figured that DS had locked a cat in his room. Checked his room, no cats. All 4 cats were accounted for, but we were still hearing meows. I looked out the windows, but saw no cats outdoors. So I put on shoes and checked the basement. We have an old house with a few additions and a crawl space with a small opening that has only been blocked to the outdoors by a piece of OSB, which has pretty much disintegrated. From the crawl space a small animal could get into our basement (which is accessed by a door outside--house is nearly 100). I went into the basement and called "kitty" and looked around, but saw no cat until I looked near the base of our old pressure tank for our well. I had to turn the light on to really get a good look.
Somehow a sweet little kitty (one of the recognizable neighborhood strays/outdoor cats) had gotten her head wedged under one of the pipes. I tried to lift the pipe with my left hand and push her head back out with my right, but I couldn't get the pipe up enough. I ended up calling DH at work (30 minutes away) to come help. He got home and was able to pull up HARD on the pipe while I pushed her head. As soon as she was free she bolted around the basement, but then quickly calmed-down and let us near her (the basement door to outside was wide open to the outdoors, but she didn't try to escape). She was shaking and terrified, but let us hold her (we had on gloves). We decided instantly that we would not just let her back out, but would get her into a carrier and bring her to the nearest shelter with space (we would have taken her in to be our kitty, but we already have 4 cats and our city limit is 4).
One of my close friends works at the county shelter and said they could take her, so DS (on Winter break...I really wish he'd been at school with all of this went down) and I brought her in. While we were there she had a seizure. My friend brought her to the vet they use and it was decided to put her down. Because of her symptoms they are testing her brain for rabies. Though I was wearing reasonably thick gloves she bit me and drew blood. Her teeth didn't puncture my glove, but she bit hard (the blood drawn on my knuckle is not a puncture, but more of an abrasion) and because of the risk that saliva could still have infected me I will have to undergo rabies treatments if she tests positive.
We're pretty heartbroken. Today DS learned how animals are tested for rabies (it requires decapitation). If she's not rabid, then the likely cause of her seizures was poisoning (either directly or indirectly from eating a poisoned rodent) or maybe I hurt her when pushing back on her skull to get her out from under the pipe. All of those possibilities suck. People who let their cats roam outdoors suck (there is never a good reason for a pet cat to be outdoors. IMO euthanasia would be so much more humane than allowing an animal to meet the sort of fate that so many outdoor cats meet). I have now had the experience of a childhood cat losing a leg to a dog outdoors and today had to play a role in the demise of another sweet creature. None of our 4 cats ever go outside for very good reason.
I really loathe Humans. Part of domesticating a species includes ensuring that said species is properly cared for and protected. Whoever she "belonged to" failed. Because of their failure to not be complete white trash my family has had a very upsetting, tear-filled day and our cash-strapped humane society has had to pay for the euthanization and testing of an animal. Her people probably haven't even noticed she's missing...
Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to
remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
~ Sarah Kay
Kirsten - It broke my heart to read this. I can't even imagine how scared you and she both were. I'm so sorry you and your family have had to go through this. I pray she will come back negative for rabies and that you won't have to go through the shot process. Thank you for taking care of her as you did.
Leslie Living and Running Behind the Redwood Curtain -------------
Trail Runner Nation
Sally McCrae-Choose Strong
Bare Performance
I hope I don't have to do the shots, either...but I'm somewhat thankful that it was our basement she found herself in. Stray cats seem to know a bunch of suckers when they see 'em.
What a traumatic experience, Zoomy! I'm sorry the kitty didn't survive and I hope you don't have to have the shots.
Don't make excuses for why you can't get it done.
Focus on all the reasons why you must make it happen.
Well, you and your family don't suck. Way to do the right thing and to express your compassion for this cat. I truly hope you are okay and shots won't be in your future. One day at a time.
--Jimmy
That's awful!! I regularly see 'outdoor' cats when on my run. The other day I saw a declawed kitty outdoors, no collar or anything. It broke my heart to have to leave her, but I have a small house with 2 cats already, so there was no way I could take her in even for a short while. Looking back I wish I would've taken her to the humane society, but they are already so overloaded that I don't know if they could've done much. My kitties are never allowed outside, if they do go out they are on a leash with good supervision. Sorry to hear the kitty had to be put done, I hope for your sake she didn't have rabies.
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The other day I saw a declawed kitty outdoors, no collar or anything.
That's just beyond the pale. I hope it was a kitty who simply escaped, but I have my doubts. I'm more inclined to think that people are just inconsiderate assholes (don't even get me started on how vile I think declawing is...).
I see a lot of strays while running, too. Like you said, shelters are so overwhelmed, as is. It will only get worse once kitten season swings into high gear, which will be early and heavy given how mild our Winter has been.
Imminent Catastrophe
Sorry to hear about this, and good luck to you, I hope you don't have to get the shots!
"Able to function despite imminent catastrophe"
"To obtain the air that angels breathe you must come to Tahoe"--Mark Twain
"The most common question from potential entrants is 'I do not know if I can do this' to which I usually answer, 'that's the whole point'.--Paul Charteris, Tarawera Ultramarathon RD.
√ Javelina Jundred Jalloween 2015
Cruel Jewel 50 mile May 2016
Western States 100 June 2016
not bad for mile 25
Well, you and your family don't suck. Way to do the right thing and to express your compassion for this cat. I truly hope you are okay and shots won't be in your future. One day at a time. --Jimmy
+1
Sorry this had to happen to you and the cat.
Menace to Sobriety
Janie, today I quit my job. And then I told my boss to go f*** himself, and then I blackmailed him for almost sixty thousand dollars. Pass the asparagus.
I am really sorry for the day you had - I sure hope you do not have rabies.
Long dead ... But my stench lingers !
old woman w/hobby
Yes. Especially hope that you don't have rabies!
steph
That really sucks. Sorry to hear. Really hope you don't need shots.
If it helps, you should know these stories sometimes have good endings. The cat that has been occupying my house for the last 6 years was dumped in my in-laws neighborhood. My mother in law grabbed him, got him shots, and dumped him on us. He's been living the life of a papered princess ever since.
X, that's a great story. Most of our cats have come to us this way. My 2 childhood cats were kittens we found near our house. We lived across the street from a church that "tourons" liked to use as a dumping place for unwanted pets at the end of Summer as they returned to their homes in Chicago. Currently our eldest cat (Lola is >18) is the offspring of a former roommate's cat. Our 3 boys were all strays who definitely picked us. We are certain that we have "sucker" written on our foreheads in some invisible script that only cats can see and read.
Most of our cats have come to us this way.
My mother in law has a similar "problem." She wanted to keep this one but he kept kicking her other cat's asses all over the house so he has to be an only cat. We can't have another pet until he kicks the bucket. I'm not sure how old he is so that might be a while.